Simon's Film and TV Reviews

I can't remember the last time a film had such an effect on me. Whether it is the focus on musical creativity, the mixture of absolutely stunning performances and script and one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard, the quietly disturbing nature of a lot of the film, or the overwhelming resolution but I sat there speechless at the end of the showing knowing that no film would ever touch me in quite the same way. I consider it a genuine masterpiece and I don't even quite know why, it just got in my head, and I felt like I was inhaling what it was like to be another person. It's surreal, it's horrifying, and it's wonderful

blinky Richard Gere stars in this film with character and love, about character and love. Not only does it ooze warmth and charm, but does so in a way that I love to watch. It's well-paced and full of wonderful interactions between Mayo-naise and his drill-seargant, and the romance fully works too. It can be pretty schmaltzy but I'll forgive it for the charm and how self-assured, and just how lovely it is

still pretty good, it's got panache and I appreciate it. The comedic stuff is dull, seriously dull, but the stripped-back, greasy action movie is still functional and pretty entertaining. Thankfully it doesn't fall into too many London cliches, and the plot works. It is just more of the same, true, but I still like it's muscle-car audacity, melodrama and fancy footwork in the cinematography

one of the most impressive and memorable films I've ever seen, on both physical and emotional cinematic levels. It's very Spielberg, with the focus being fully on the characters rather than the catastrophes and his collaboration with John Williams has paid off to create a film that manipulates in just the right ways - it scares, amazes, and gives you those warm tingles. It's not only a great family film but it has secondary messages about consumerism and science, and it's not only got these amazing effects that are still entirely convincing twenty years later but it doesn't let itself be carried by them - people still have full conversations on screen that aren't just a necessity but add something to the film. Overall it's deservedly called a classic, all the acting is fab, Jeff Goldbloom is especially great, the cinematography is, of course, also fab, the stuff about gender roles is pretty important and most of all it's terrifying!

this is just brilliant. It's like watching the old show but with developed self-aware humour, and in HD. I may be blinded by my love for the original but the makers have retained so much of its charm, simplicity and wonderful melodrama. I get tingles every time I hear the countdown and those amazing brassy chords. Kayo and the new Thunderbird are so cool, and the plot-lines are just as bombastic as ever. Hopefully it will bring a new generation to this all-time classic

the black humour in this reaches new levels for me. Every laugh is tinged with guilt and uncertainty - but there are laughs! It feels wonderfully organic and brutally honest - it doesn't try to be something it isn't. The characters are home-grown and really well-drawn, but that sense of comic unease is inescapable. Benedict Cumberbatch's cameo is my favourite bit, but I am very biased. Above all it is rounded and a solid, daring film and I admire it greatly for provoking such a reaction

well it's certainly not the best action film of all time, and I may be in an ignorant position as I have not to this moment seen the originals, but it passes the time rather well. Nothing is explained, ever, but I can get over that: it is   relentless enough to draw you into the chase whilst not caring about what it all means. Grease, sand, blood, mud and pain are its specialties, and the chase plot surrounded by these elements is simple but embellished. I haven't got much to say about the feminism or how great Charlize Theron is - it shouldn't be an issue - but nevertheless I do respect it. While the world it inhabits is truly astonishing and everything is well acted and directed (the action and imagination is incredible), my main quibble is that it is so overwhelming that when important or amazing things happened I didn't feel that emotional connection that I needed to make it work for me

okay so the reboot gave the series its mojo back but sacrificed plot, and I think the makers have tried to address this point, but it feels overdone. The stripped-back plot of 1 and 4 succumbs to a twisty chase thriller with the addition of a twitchy Dwayne Johnson looking to impress as the chief police officer. It does have some extra grit to add to the mix and, in typical style, the brio and verve of the better instalments can be seen in the brilliantly executed action sequences. The police plot thread is frankly quite dull and Pataky and Johnson just don't fit will together. But whilst the plot can feel a bit overly contrived and even soap-like in some ways, what's important is that it's quite fun even if for most of it you don't know what's going on

the inconsequential and entirely forgettable plot is supported by charming performances by the ever-wonderful Emily Blunt as the young professional and a very, very convincing Ewan McGregor as the Aspergic fish-enthusiast. The comedic elements are quite weak, and the stylisation feels fake and unnecessary. What really works is the truth of the central relationship, that has chemistry and genuine feeling to it. Swathes of it are quite flabby but it's fine, and worth watching for the two of them and Kristin Scott-Thomas is just brilliant

in impassioned reaction to the nuclear threat, along with films like Godzilla, this film has been expertly honed as a moral warning of war. Through and through this classic is a parable of the dangers of human endeavour, and it's pretty unmissable. Understandably, the writers must be so incensed by their fellow men that they have really rammed this message home, but fortunately they have not let the story be eclipsed. The production aspects are undoubtedly inspired and groundbreaking, and the music too is a phenomenon in itself, and it is this that really brings colour and tension. At the time this must have been a true sight to behold, but regrettably it now feels frayed and familiar. It does tend to drag at times and it can be lazy, with the creators letting the work hang on the, albeit strong, other aspects. This is a flawed work, but an important one, both in terms of its cautionary message and its innovative production values

it's not unsentimental, it's very romantic but it puts a huge grin on your face and you want to spend as much time with these great people as possible - you could listen to their lilting Welsh tones all day. Some of the cinematography is just magical, and for a home-grown film, just like the horse it portrays, it exceeds expectations and deserves all the praise it gets. It's got the simple arch and formulaic nature of a low-budget documentary but that's good - it's not showy or pretentious, it knows what it wants to do and it just shines. At the end of it, you feel like you've just made a new group of friends. It's not just about a horse, it's about family and ambition and love, it's a real charmer

the worst thing about this isn't it's Bay-inspired pornographic sensibilities and racist undertones, or the ludicrously futile attempts at a plot, or the lack of chemistry between any two characters, or even the ghastly, grating speech patterns of the main character, but how dull it all is - nothing bad about it enrages me, it's just what I've come to expect from this series of films after its tragic demise from fun to useless. Without Paul Walker this completely falls apart, the only things holding it upright is that the visual flare has returned, and how at least this one does remind me of Need for Speed again. The obsession with nitrous has warn of, and getting drifting involved gives new opportunities for excitement. It does take itself way too seriously, but I guess this one is so bad that it's good (but only just)

horrendous, every detail of this feels sloppy, yet deliberate and meticulous. Not only is the script both lifeless and thoughtless but it knows it, and actually pokes fun at itself with lines like "haha, that was a really smooth transition!" The boring exposition scenes are peppered with a bit of mindless torture to really get you going, but it's all transparent - this purely exists as a formula, a money-making exercise, part of a franchise. Most importantly the action, which was the salvation of the first, is weak and lacklustre. It adds nothing to what was already not great but kinda fun: this is just not great and not fun

it's basically a wry, charming live-action version on Up in terms of plot, it makes you laugh and cry, you're won over by the excellent animation coupled with Ben Whishaw's superb voice. It doesn't have the same dastardly streak and the perilous scenes can feel under-nourished, but as a family film centring around the perfect rendering of a contemporary family, it's almost perfect. Bonneville and Hawkins are brilliant together and I'd watch it alone just for Peter Capaldi. The team, and especially Ben Whishaw, have done justice to a very important part of childhood

this does improve eventually. The beginning sees a lot of exceedingly dull and obvious exposition and excuses to just get to the good bit, which is admittedly pretty good. When Liam, the number one beaver lookalike of all time, isn't finding new and inventive ways of escaping dodgy situations and killing someone without any spilled blood to make sure the film remains a twelve, the film does give you time to ask questions such as: aren't that guy's children in bed? How does he know/guess so accurately about the corruption? And most importantly, who is driving the gosh-darn boat? The flaw here isn't that the plot-holes exist, it's just that we're given the time to realise. All that being said, it is a rip-roaring ride once it lumbers off and the Greengrass-esque shaky-cam and albeit brilliant fight sequences does get your pulse going, and you forgive it for its messiness